


Look forward to the future (you'll meet with me)

by SuushiShark



Series: Let's take a step together [Animal Crossing AU] [1]
Category: ATEEZ (Band)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Animal Crossing Fusion, Angst with a Happy Ending, Animal Crossing New Horizon AU, Dog Hybrid Jeong Yunho, Fluff, Fluff and Angst, Giraffe Hybrid Song Mingi, Happy Ending, Hurt/Comfort, Hybrids, Judgemental Park Seonghwa, M/M, Moving, Stereotypes, it really isnt' that angsty, the story did an180 at one point, to a deserted island, yes - Freeform, you heard right
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-05-23
Updated: 2020-05-23
Packaged: 2021-03-03 06:06:41
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,159
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24330010
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/SuushiShark/pseuds/SuushiShark
Summary: Seonghwa moved to a deserted island, expecting to find a new life there different from the stressed one in the city. However, he quickly realizes the beliefs he grew up with make him judge the island's inhabitants wrongly by their stereotypes. Luckily, he met Hongjoong along the way. [Animal Crossing AU]
Relationships: Kim Hongjoong/Park Seonghwa
Series: Let's take a step together [Animal Crossing AU] [1]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1756525
Comments: 4
Kudos: 28





	Look forward to the future (you'll meet with me)

Seonghwa wasn't sure what made him sign up for living on a lonely island in the first place. All he remembers is being handed a flyer, which had "Deserted Island Getaway Package" written on it in big bold letters, by a little raccoon boy (at least he assumes he was a raccoon), who looked at him with big pleading eyes. It made him stop in the busy life of his, rent wasn't cheap nowadays, and questioned whether a vacation might be due. Before he could ask any further questions though, the boy disappeared and Seonghwa simply slipped the flyer in his briefcase and continued his way to work.

After a long day of once again being compared to his associates, who always would have been a better choice for his job (making him sometimes seriously question why his superiors still bothered with assigning him to those kinds of projects), Seonghwa found himself in his tiny, rundown home of an apartment and rediscovered the already forgotten flyer he got that morning. Without any further thinking, he took out his phone, called the number and blindly signed up for the package. Looking back, the excitement in the voice of "Mr. Nook", who he later found out to also be a raccoon, should be a dead giveaway of him missing something.

A few week later, it turned out the something was him signing up for moving rather than booking a vacation which he got informed of due to a notice he received of "Nook Inc.". However, instead of canceling it he ended up quitting his job (just the look of exasperation in his superior's face was worth it) and soon started packing his back with the few belongings he could afford. 

There was something freeing about sitting in a plane on the way to a deserted island where he would start a new life. Although he didn't know his new neighbors yet, Mr. Nook informed him that the other two residents as well as himself and his two apprentices would move in a few days earlier, he couldn't wait to make new friends (not that he really had any to begin with).

Nevertheless, anxiety slowly crept up on him when left the airport and came to face the island for the first time, realizing what deserted really means. All he saw at first were trees, sometimes apples hanging from them, and in the distance he could make out a large tent with a bonfire in front of it. After taking a deep breath and stealing his nerves, he went on the way to (hopefully) meet Mr. Nook and his new neighbors.

"It's good to see you again, Seonghwa!" Mr. Nook waved upon spotting him making his way towards what he assumes to be a town plaza (it really isn't anything more than a large patch of dirt). Seonghwa curtly nodded, still not being used to a speaking raccoon. Speaking animals weren't exactly a secret, you actually encounter many of them in the city (although they usually were hybrids, there almost aren't any full bloods anymore), but growing up in a conservative family, Seonghwa never had any contact to them.

He grew up sheltered in many ways.

"I hope touchdown went well. A water landing isn't for everyone." Mr. Nook chuckled and motioned for Timmy and Tommy (it was the latter who shyly handed Seonghwa the flyer on that day) while Seonghwa grimaced at the memory of his stomach doing multiple flips when landing. "Timmy and Tommy will explain the island life to you. I have some matters to take care of, my apologies." With that Mr. Nook excused himself into the large tent, leaving Seonghwa with the two apprentices. 

Apparently not everything went smoothly with the Nook's business when they moved to the island and they wouldn't be able to stay here, but the two raccoons assured him they already managed to find a substitution. "We won't let anything ruin yours and the other resident's new life here. Speaking of which, currently the island is inhabited by a dog and another human," Timmy explained.

"Another human?" Seonghwa remembered being told a dog and a squirrel would start their life with him. However, he wasn't opposed to the idea of someone of his species living with him on this deserted island. He did crave some social interactions outside of his work over the past years but never had the energy nor guts to ask someone out to a non-work related outing let alone a date.

"His name is Hongjoong. We named him the Resident Representative therefore please don't hesitate to rely on him if you need help with something." Timmy pointed in the direction where Seonghwa assumed to make out a tent which presumably was owned by this Hongjoong. "He was also the one who named this island Atiny," Tommy added quietly.

After talking to the two boys for a bit longer and receiving a tent from them in the process, Seonghwa eventually decided to take his leave and make his way towards Hongjoong's tent to introduce himself, before he tried to look for a place where he could settle down. His back was definitely not looking forward to spending the next few days, if not weeks, sleeping on the hard ground.

Nearing the small tent, Seonghwa saw it was being illuminated from presumably a small lamp on the inside, indicating Hongjoong was at 'home' as long as he didn't simply forget to turn of the light. Seonghwa came to a stop in front of the tent and awkwardly stood looking at the entrance. Clearly, he couldn't just ring the doorbell but how else are you supposed to inform someone you never met about your presence? Should he just cough? Or just greet the tent as if it was another being in hopes of its inhabitant to realize he was actually the one being addressed?

Just when Seonghwa thought he finally gathered the courage to say something, his panicked brain could decide what it would be, a man stepped out of the tent, Hongjoong he assumed, startling him in the process and making him let out an unmanly squeak which then again made the other shout in surprise. Both men stared at each other for a moment, Seonghwa looking like a deer in headlights, before Hongjoong let out a soft chuckle.

"I'm sorry for startling you. It wasn't my intention to get on the bad side of my new neighbor immediately." The blonde smiled apologetic at Seonghwa who released a breath he didn't know he was holding. "I'm Hongjoong. I take it your Seonghwa?" Hongjoong held out a hand for him to shake. Seonghwa nodded, apparently at a loss for words, and took the offered hand, marveling at how tiny it was compared to his own. In addition, he noticed how one of Hongjoong's fingers was painted with nail polish. He never thought men could do that too, he only ever saw women do it. But as Seonghwa took in the other appearance, he realized the other seemed to differ greatly from all the men he met before.

Firstly, Hongjoong seemed to have bleached his hair, his dark roots already showing a bit, although this only made it appear more natural, in Seonghwa's opinion. It also wasn't the yellow of a chicken's feathers, but rather a dirty blonde. Still, Hongjoong looked quite adorable to him with his small size compared to Seonghwa, who had rather broad shoulders, and therefore he did remind him of a baby chicken.

On top his hair, Hongjoong sported a black hat, Seonghwa thinks to recall as a beret, yet he wasn't sure since he never visited France before and only saw people wear them there in movies. Hongjoong's long sleeved shirt also reminded him of movies but way older ones. Do people really still wear tie-dye shirts? Nevertheless, the bright pink was an eye-catcher and Seonghwa wondered whether he made it himself instead of questioning why a man was wearing such a feminine color. 

What captured his attention however, was his subtle eye make-up. Seonghwa faintly recalls how his mother spoke about men not being allowed to wear make-up when he was younger and asked to try out one of his mother's lipsticks (he did it anyway only to be heavily scolded for doing so afterwards and never daring to do it again). He could swear he saw stars in Hongjoong's perfectly accentuated eyes which still looked softly into his own, making his legs feel like jelly.

Realizing he still held the other's hand, Seonghwa quickly let go, embarrassed for staring at the other so intensely and feeling his face heat up as a result. He cleared his throat and decided to avoid eye contact for a bit. "I'm still searching for a place for my tent... Do you happen to know any nice spots?" As if to emphasize his words Seonghwa lifted up his tent, though it was more out of nervousness.

Hongjoong smiled brightly at him, enthusiastically grabbed his wrist and dragged Seonghwa with him without giving him a chance to object. "There's this really nice clearance not far away from my tent. It's directly next to the river and Yunoh's tent is also close by," Hongjoong called over his shoulder while making his way to said clearance with determined steps. 

It indeed was a nice spot. Whereas he wasn't too sure yet how he should feel about a waterfall right next his house, worrying about not getting any sleep from the loud sound the water made on its way downwards, he did like the few apple trees which build a half circle in between which Hongjoong wanted him to set up his tent. 

Seonghwa got to work and Hongjoong sat down underneath one of the apple trees, watching him with curious eyes. Trying to detangle the tent turned out to be harder than expected and Seonghwa soon cursed whoever thought giving him an old fashioned tent with ropes attached to it was a good idea. When he finally did stop to entangle the tent more instead of detangling it, he was quickly faced with the challenge of preventing his tent of collapsing in itself. His first attempt was an utter failure and had Hongjoong laughing at the side line, making Seonghwa shoot him a glare before huffing and getting back to work. 

After further hopeless attempts, Seonghwa saw Hongjoong getting ready to get up (he hoped in order to help him) but his attention was directed to a new voice suddenly calling out for him. "Want me to help you?" He saw male jog over to him, his short brown puppy ears conspicuously bobbing on his head while doing so, making Seonghwa's eyes zero in on them.

A hybrid. Additionally, a dog one. 

A mutt.

Seonghwa felt himself go rigid as the hybrid arrived with a wagging tail. All he could think about was if he was trained and where his owner was despite clearly knowing that he obviously doesn't have one. But how was he supposed to speak to him? Up until now, he always ignored hybrids his whole life, treating them like thin air. Should he pat his head? Call him a 'good boy'? He didn't have any dog treats on him!

Unconsciously, Seonghwa started to breathe shallower, feeding his anxiety and making his chest tighten. He kept starting to make fists only to unclench them the next second and his teeth started to clatter due to how much he trembled. His fight or flight instinct screamed at him to just take to his heels and he soon found himself doing exactly that and fled from the hybrid, ignoring the shouts of his name, presumably from Hongjoong.

Exhausted, Seonghwa stopped at the beach after sprinting across the whole island and let himself fall down into the sand, worrying about the hybrid catching up to him but he reassured himself by thinking that he probably scared him enough to give him some space. With a deep breath he took in the salty air and tried to calm down. He wasn’t sure what took over him, knowing he didn't react like that when he met the raccoons. Thus, his only guess was that he simply had a problem with hybrids, with them being half-half. 

They shouldn't be his neighbors. They should live with their own specie.

So why did he feel remorse about running off and treating the poor pup like that?

Once again, Seonghwa was startled out of his own thoughts today, this time by a figure unceremoniously plopping down on the sand next to him. The newcomer grinned at him, eyes becoming a slit as a consequence. What stood out though were the brown spots covering his whole body except his face. It reminded him of vitiligo but inverted.

"Whatcha doin'? Are the waves that interesting to look at?" The guy, whose hair was a faded red, which Seonghwa noticed to be dyed like Hongjoong's judging be the darker roots, laughed while watching the waves come crashing down mere meters away from them. "By the way, I'm Mingi. I'll be manning the shop here soon. It should be built by tomorrow."

"Seonghwa." He curtly replied, not in the mood for talking, opposite to Mingi who jumped on the opportunity to tell him everything about his shop, how he always wanted to have his own after helping his parents out in their own ever since a young age and how he immediately jumped at the offer of Mr. Nook (apparently a friend of his parents) to open a store on this deserted island, on Atiny. 

Despite his boisterous personality, Seonghwa soon found himself enjoying Mingi's company and was relieved about being able to forget his thoughts for some time. It was short lived, however, when both heard someone calling Seonghwa's name.

Hongjoong hurried over to the pair, dramatically pulling Seonghwa in a hug after he too sat down. "You gave us quite the scare there, Seonghwa! Poor pup was ready to run after you the second you took off. I told him to finish setting up your tent with me though, in case you need to rest." The shorter man absent-mindedly started stroking his dark hair, making Seonghwa blush, though he leaned into the touch instead of pushing Hongjoong away. 

Since Seonghwa seemed to relax, Hongjoong now addressed Mingi who looked at the both of them fondly. "You're Yunho's friend I guess? The giraffe?" Hongjoong reached out with his hand that wasn't stroking Seonghwa's hair to shake Mingi's who nodded and introduced himself again. Seonghwa felt all his muscles going stiff again and shuffled closer to Hongjoong upon hearing Mingi was another hybrid (it explained the spots although he never heard of a giraffe hybrid before). Hongjoong only pulled him in a tight embrace, probably not wanting him to run away again, and shot him a worried glance.

Mingi pointed at Hongjoong's pink tie-dye shirt. "I take it you made it yourself?" Hongjoong nodded, confirming Seonghwa's assumption and making him feel oddly proud of the shortest. "Guess you're Hongjoong then. Heard you wanted to open a tailor shop next to my store." Seonghwa perked up at that. 

Wasn't tailoring the job of women?

His questioning look didn't go unnoticed by the blonde who chuckled, only for a sad smile to adorn his face afterwards. "Making clothes isn't something only women do, Hwa~" Seonghwa felt his face heat up again at the nickname and just dumbly nodded, staring at his hand out of embarrassment.

He wondered what else he would judge wrongly.

"How about we go back to your home? Yunho's probably still there, worrying sick about you."

"Don't wanna..."

"But we worked really hard together when setting it up.~ Don't you wanna thank him?"

Seonghwa wasn't really sure whether he really wanted to thank the pup but he did feel kind of obliged to do so. It wasn't his fault Seonghwa isn't good with hybrids. He even made the effort to set up his tent even though Seonghwa didn't even introduce himself properly.

Reluctantly, Seonghwa got up from the ground, shooting Mingi a last scrutinizing look, before he turned to Hongjoong, ready to leave. The blonde patted his shoulder encouragingly and waved at Mingi as a goodbye while flashing him a smile and promising to talk more the next time they meet. Subsequently, he dragged Seonghwa once again with him, this time by linking their hands instead of holding to the dark haired's wrist.

With every step they got closer to the clearance, where his tent should be set up now, Seonghwa dreaded having to face the dog hybrid again more. He felt his heart shatter after arriving and seeing the pup sitting in front of his tent as if guarding it with flattened ears, looking absolutely heartbroken and making him feel remorse. 

When the hybrid caught sight of them, it was clear he was ready to jump Seonghwa but thankfully he held back and instead opted for staring at him with watery eyes, making Seonghwa swallowed hard. Hongjoong petted his head in a soothing manner, clearly calming him down a bit within seconds.

Seonghwa gnawed on his lip, trying to come up with something to say but being at a loss of words. He wasn't sure if he was expected to explain why he ran away first or if a simple thanks was enough (judging by the behavior of the hybrid, latter would definitely cheer him up immediately).

"Hongjoong and I set up your tent together. Are you feeling any better now?" The pup quickly wiped at his eyes and looked at him with worry in his eyes. "I'm Yunho by the way. Hongjoong said you probably weren't feeling well which is why you left, Seonghwa."

"Thank you for setting up my tent... Yunho." Seonghwa looked down and wringed his hands, embarrassed about having made Yunho worry. Especially since the reason was so peculiar.

"May I ask what happened? Why did you run away..?" Hongjoong put a hand on Seonghwa's back and rubbed soothing circles. Seonghwa muttered something under his breath but neither of the two understood him. "Whatever it was, you can trust us!" Yunho urged him, nodding vehemently as to enhance his words.

"I... Was overwhelmed by Yunho... By Yunho being a hybrid... In addition, him being a dog. I worried about him being some... Mutt... I-I was scared." Seonghwa didn't dare to look at Yunho. Hongjoong's hand on his back stilled and he heard a soft gasp from Yunho, his body starting to tremble at the thought of having hurt him even more with his words.

"I-I'm sorry. I'm sorry, I'm so so so sorry, please, forgive me-" Seonghwa hiccupped, having started to cry. However, he was promptly shushed my Hongjoong who pulled him closer and presses a soft kiss to his forehead. 

"It's okay Hwa, you're not alone. I'll help you settle into your new life. We all will."

**Author's Note:**

> Hello~  
> Thanks for giving this story a chance^^ I apologize for any mistakes or the story sounding rather stiff, English is not my native tongue..  
> I'm also rather rusty when it comes to writing. I do plan on writing more in this universe and adding more character, so I hopefully get used to it again sooner or later.


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